Priscilla's eyes darted from side to side, her feet shaking into the ground as she patiently awaited an apology from the devious Lucia. However, all she was interested in was giving a tour to her new coven member. The houses were decorated in various colours that didn't complement each other, it was as if she had commissioned a blind painter.
They ducked low while walking through the wooden beads hung from the ceiling, the rainbow carpet leading them directly to the living room where a large book with an even more massive collection of witch schools lay open. A few had already been circled in red, Priscilla figured these were Lucia's personal picks.
'Hey, so, do I really have to attend a witch school?'
'Well to be entirely honest, no. However, there are things there that I cannot teach you, such as the fundamentals of magic and potion craft. I am an amateur in those departments so I am outsourcing your education to one of these schools.' Lucia seemed much more honest now, being transparent and even humble toward her own abilities. However, Priscilla didn't buy any of that, rolling her eyes back.
Her finger traced through the seven selected schools, the benefits of each listed below along with the price for attendance each year. Priscilla rubbed her eyes, thinking that the three million dollar price tag was a mistake on her part. Sure enough, the number remained the same no matter how often she looked at it.
'No need to worry about the money sweetie. You are part of my coven now and I must make sure you get everything you need.' She held her credit card close to her face, smiling confidently.
Among the seven, one grabbed her attention the most, a school in Germany called Patagonia. A faint memory flashed through her mind, remembering it was one of the schools Lucia listed off when they had first met. It was a massive school carved into the mountain and surrounded by hundreds of kilometres of forest. However, the price pushed away many poor witch families turning the school into an unofficial elite school.
Priscilla's pale fingers placed the book on the glass coffee table. She cast aside her want for an apology and pulled out the chipped burgundy scissors, which glowed a faint crimson from the cracks littered around its frame that seemed to be alive. 'Do you know why they are like this?'
Lucia pooled together Priscilla's hands in her own. 'You see, the ritual actually grants members additional power. But that power is blocked by a unique skill called ''Bind of Skill'', this seals ninety percent of your power forcing you to unlock it and reach your true potential, it also grants enormous levels of power to anyone who can claim back the leftover ninety percent.' Priscilla could barely imagine the power boost she would get when her strength was already so overwhelming, it frightened her a little.
Thinking back at the display of strength mere hours ago brought back the fiery range inside of her, she rose to her feet and gripped the scissors menacingly. 'You could get your revenge now when I have a large cut in my stomach, or~ I could teach you how to use a wand.' Priscilla's eyes lit up in excitement, her feet kicking against the wooden floor.
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A short walk delivered them straight to a large open field with several targets composed of hay and old potato bags. Before them lay a table filled with strange objects and magic materials, her hand glided toward a chain before being stopped by Lucia.
'Before then I must bestow upon you some very important information. Witches are split into two categories: one is spell crafters, and they use their chants and wands to direct attacks towards enemies. And the second are artisans, any magical item, potion, artefact runs through the hands of an artisan. However, there are a lot less artisans left in the world after the great purge.'
'So which am I?' Asked Priscilla excitedly, jumping up and down like a bouncy ball.
'There is a test to find it out, and it just so happens I brought it with me today!' From a small purse she could fit in her pocket she withdrew a large crystal ball the size of a bowling ball. She grabbed Priscilla's hand placed it on the smooth reflective surface, Priscilla's eyes rolled to the back of her head, visions of ice flooding her mind like a snowstorm.
'I feel cold, a icy wonderland devoid of life and soul as far as the eye could see.'
'Great, that means you are an artisan!'
Priscilla's shoulder's slumped down, she would have much preferred to be a spell crafter and fight opponents head on.
'There is no need to feel sad, just because you are an artisan does not mean you can't participate in spell crafting. Your affinity towards it is just not as high, that's all.' From the table she grabbed a willow-wood wand handing it to Priscilla.
'Now that you have a wand we can get on to the next lesson. Grimoire summoning!'
'Aptur' Followed by a large grimoire larger than Lucia and as thick as her own body.
'This is my grimoire, it displays both my strength and my mental capabilities. And I don't mean to brag but its one of the biggest in the world~' She whispered the last part to herself hoping Priscilla wouldn't hear it. She did.
'Your turn!'
Lucia watched Priscilla from behind, a smile on her face as the young witch performed her first spell.
'Aptur!' A magical book appeared before them, a glossy cover littered with tiny stars twinkling in Priscilla's eyes. The book was a little smaller than half of Lucia's, and the massive cover opened revealing a brand new entry to her spell dictionary. Aptur, summoner of the grimmoire.
'Are the grimoire sizes permanent?' Priscilla asked, hoping that with time and training she could grow her own to be much larger than Lucia's.
'Of course, with enough time and energy you could increase it by even ten times the current size. But there are drawbacks to using a grimoire as well as benefits.'
'Drawbacks?'
'Yes. A grimoire will increase your power output by 120% when it is open on the right page and you are holding it. But that's it, if you don't hold onto the grimoire the effects won't benefit you. And don't get me started on what happens when someone attacks your grimoire directly, all the damage it receives is directed on to you.'
On the table, Lucia pointed at several needles. One among the bunch levitated into the air, launching forward into the straw dummy. Priscilla stared in awe, eager to try performing the same spell as her mentor. She stuck her hand forward, enivisioning the needle floating up into the air and being launched forward.
'So, will you try the spell?'
'Is the needle not floating?'
'Nope.'
'Fuck.'
Priscilla sat back against the table looking at Lucia's demonstration once more. 'You have to imbue a little bit of your soul into the strike.' Another needle shot forward followed by a second and even a third.
Priscilla took the stand once more, ready to give it another go. She closed her eyes, picturing the field in her mind, from her chest she allowed a transparent hand to touch one of the needles, lifting it up in the air. Her eyes opened, finding that the needle was suspended in the air, she pictured it flinging forward and swung her wand. The needle obeyed the command, flying straight into the centre of the dummy.
'Bravo Bravo. Now tell me Priscilla.'
'What?'
'Do you want to drop a nuke?'